California Shakespeare Theater, Orinda, California
Emily S. MendelTheaterSan Francisco,
Despite a slow and inflated start, the West Coast premiere of “Everybody” at Cal Shakes, by award-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (“An Octoroon”) closes with a strong finish that resonates deeply and lingers in one’s thoughts.
“Everybody” is a ...
David E. MorenoDanceSan Francisco,
“Is something true, just because you remember it?”
“Still Standing” is as much a happening as it is a site-specific work. Shaped by the walls of San Francisco’s landmark Victorian, Hass-Lilienthal House—and the creative corridors ...
Renata PoltFilmSan Francisco,
With 67 films from 23 countries, this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival--the 38th--remains the world's largest, and, of course, still the oldest.
And, by the way, 53% of the films are directed ...
California Shakespeare Theater, Orinda, California
Emily S. MendelTheaterSan Francisco,
How many works of literature can you name that have given rise to a regularly used English adjective? Not many? Me neither. But the word, “quixotic,” defined as “foolishly impractical, especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially marked by rash ...
Emily S. MendelArt & ArchitectureSan Francisco,
In a rare combination of beauty and scholarship, San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum is presenting “Truth and Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelites and the Old Masters,” an exhibition that compares the rich, idealist artwork of the mid-19th century English Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood ...
Emily S. MendelTheaterSan Francisco,
Just when I was bemoaning the dearth of newly minted original musicals, along comes “Soft Power,” a wonderfully innovative, exciting, intelligent and tuneful show, created by Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang ("M. Butterfly") and Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori ("Fun Home").
...
Toba SingerDanceSan Francisco,
“¡Socorro!” in Spanish means “Help!” of the kind that begs for succor, comfort, a poultice for one’s wounds. If the San Francisco dance cohort, having plateaued about three years ago, sent up such a cry, then the goddess Terpsichore ...
Emily S. MendelTheaterSan Francisco,
It seems that there are very few newly minted original musicals these days. They are either revivals or are based on existing books or movies, which provides producers and audiences with familiarity and confidence. With the ...
Michael McDonaghMusicSan Francisco,
We love to put people in boxes. She's progressive, he's conservative. This music is twelve-tone, that music is minimalist. But the final concert of San Francisco's New Century Chamber Orchestra showed how artificial these divisions are. Music is supposed to ...
Emily S. MendelArt & ArchitectureSan Francisco,
When most of us think about the brilliant and influential Belgian artist, René Magritte, we imagine his two most iconic surreal paintings — “La trahison des images” (The Treachery of Images) the 1929 painting of a pipe with the ...
